Lucas Johnson Dominant as No. 24 San Diego State Beats UTSA in 2021 Frisco Bowl
Dec 22, 2021
FRISCO, TX - DECEMBER 21: San Diego State Aztecs quarterback Lucas Johnson (7) passes during the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl game between UTSA and San Diego State on December 21, 2021 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, TX. (Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Lucas Johnson completed 24-of-36 passes for 333 yards and three touchdowns as the No. 24 San Diego State Aztecs football team beat the University of Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners 38-24 in the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl on Tuesday from Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
Wide receiver Jesse Matthews caught 11 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns for the Aztecs, who scored 17 unanswered points to turn a 14-7 first-quarter deficit into a 24-14 third-quarter lead.
Running back Greg Bell added 26 carries for 101 rushing yards and one score. Johnson also added 15 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. The final TD was courtesy of wideout Tyrell Shavers.
UTSA quarterback Frank Harris completed 22-of-36 passes for 271 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He found frequent targets in Zakhari Franklin (eight receptions, 89 yards) and De'Corian Clark (six catches, 72 yards), both of whom scored touchdowns. Brenda Brady rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
San Diego State maintained position for nearly 38 minutes as its successful ground game and explosive passing attack led to 489 yards from scrimmage. The Aztecs also managed to get 31 first downs without committing a turnover.
Clark opened the scoring with this leaping grab to put UTSA up 6-0:
The Aztecs went up for good when Matt Araiza kicked a 33-yard field goal to end the first half.
SDSU got the ball to start the second half and ended a six-play, 48-yard drive with a one-yard run from Bell.
UTSA answered with a Hunter Duplessis 41-yard field goal, but the relentless SDSU attack responded when Johnson found Shavers for a 24-yard touchdown and a 31-17 lead post-PAT.
Harris found Franklin for a three-yard touchdown to make it a one score game as time expired in the third quarter, but the Aztecs closed the scoring in the fourth when Johnson ran it in from two yards out with 9:51 in regulation remaining.
San Diego State ended its season with a 12-2 mark. It was an excellent year for the Aztecs, whose accolades include a 33-31 triple overtime win over eventual Pac-12 champion Utah.
UTSA capped its tremendous season, which saw the Roadrunners win its first 11 games and earn a Top 25 Associated Press poll ranking for the first time in the program's short history, which runs back to 2011. The Roadrunners finished the season at 12-2.
SDSU Football to Play Next Season at LA Soccer Stadium amid Venue Construction
Sep 15, 2020
A general view of ROKiT Field at Dignity Health Sports Park before an NFL football game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Oakland Raiders in Carson, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
With its 70,000-seat stadium being destroyed earlier than planned to speed up construction on a new venue, the San Diego State football team will play home games during the upcoming spring and fall seasons at the home of Major League Soccer's LA Galaxy.
The Aztecs will play at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, about 110 miles north of their current home. Ground broke on a new $310 million stadium last month, with the facility being part of a campus expansion project and scheduled to open in the fall of 2022.
SDCCU Stadium, which was previously known as Qualcomm Stadium and Jack Murphy Stadium, was the home to the San Diego Chargers before the franchise relocated to Los Angeles, where Dignity Health Sports Parkwas also its home.
No stadium was available in San Diego to host the team, athletic director John David Wicker said, perUSA Today:
“We are San Diego State University. We are going to be here forever. We're excited that we are building a football stadium in San Diego. ... We are part of this community. We're just going to run up the road for a little bit to play football and then we're going to come back and we're going to open a phenomenal stadium and continue developing a campus that is great for San Diego."
SDCCU Stadium opened in 1967 and has hosted three Super Bowls and two World Series; the San Diego Padres played at the facility until 2004.
The Aztecs had planned to play two more seasons at the stadium before the Mountain West Conference postponed the fall football season to spring because of COVID-19. With the pandemic ongoing, the decision was made to move up demolition of the stadium to early 2021.
Wicker said concrete from the demolition of SDCCU Stadium will be used as a base for the new Aztec Stadium, which will seat 35,000.
In 2019, San Diego State went 10-3 and ended the season with a 48-11 defeat of Central Michigan in the New Mexico Bowl.
Ex-Michigan HC Brady Hoke Replaces Rocky Long as San Diego State's Head Coach
Jan 8, 2020
San Diego State Aztecs defensive line coach Brady Hoke looks on from the sideline during the second half of the NCAA college football game against the Fresno State Bulldogs Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, in San Diego. The Aztecs won 17-7. (AP Photo/Orlando Ramirez)
Brady Hoke is heading back to Southern California. The former Michigan coach is rejoining San Diego State University, where he was head coach for two seasons from 2009-10 before the Wolverines came calling.
Hoke previously led the Aztecs to their first bowl victory at the Poinsettia Bowl in 2010 after going 9-4 that season. He was 13-12 overall at the school.
The 61-year-old replaces retiring coach Rocky Long, who took over the job after Hoke left for the Big Ten.
In many ways, Hoke's departure from San Diego State in 2010 altered the entire course of his career.
An up-and-coming head coach in the college ranks who'd spent time overseeing a variety of defensive position groups at Power Five schools, Hoke had just gotten settled in his second job as a Group of Five coach—leaving Ball State to join SDSU—when Michigan decided to part ways with Lloyd Carr-successor Rich Rodriguez.
On paper, Hoke was the perfect replacement for the Wolverines. He'd been an assistant under Carr from 1995-2002, ascending to associate head coach in his final season before taking the head coaching job at his alma mater, Ball State.
In six years with the Cardinals, Hoke's teams went from barely reaching four wins per year to competing for conference titles in the Mid-American Conference. in 2008, his last year before leaving for San Diego State, Hoke's team went 12-2, knocking off both Navy and Indiana before ultimately falling to Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl—a game Hoke didn't coach in.
A quick turnaround at San Diego State, where the Aztecs went from four wins in his first season to nine wins a year later, put him near the top of the list for Michigan when it came time to replace Rodriguez.
But Hoke didn't last much longer than his predecessor in Ann Arbor. After finishing his first season with 11 wins and a Sugar Bowl victory, Hoke's teams nosedived, winning fewer games each year until he was fired after a five-win 2014 season.
The Ohio native would bounce around the sidelines for a few years in the NFL and college ranks before he landed back at SDSU as a defensive line coach on Long's staff in 2019.
A decade after he first got to San Diego, Hoke has another opportunity to mold the program as he sees fit, the latest stop on his path to redemption after falling from grace in Michigan.
Ryan Agnew Throws 3 TDs as SDSU Crushes Central Michigan in New Mexico Bowl
Dec 21, 2019
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO - DECEMBER 21: Wide receiver Jesse Matthews #45 of the San Diego State Aztecs scores a touchdown against the Central Michigan Chippewas during the New Mexico Bowl at Dreamstyle Stadium on December 21, 2019 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images)
San Diego State earned its first bowl victory since 2016 with a 48-11 win over Central Michigan in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday.
Ryan Agnew threw two touchdowns to help the Aztecs build an early 20-3 advantage, while the country's No. 4 scoring defense took care of the rest in an easy win at Dreamstyle Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Jordan Byrd led a rushing attack that totaled 223 yards on the ground as San Diego State finished 10-3 for its fourth 10-win season in five years.
Central Michigan (8-6) couldn't end on a high note, but Jim McElwain still performed one of the best coaching jobs in the country after taking over a squad that went 1-11 last season.
Notable Stats
Ryan Agnew, QB, SDSU: 18-of-31, 287 passing yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
San Diego State Surprises with Offensive Explosion
The Aztecs entered the game averaging just 19 points scored per game, going four straight without even scoring 20.
The offense wasn't a problem in this one.
Jesse Matthews was the star early on, scoring two first-half touchdowns including one for 74 yards.
We see why @SDSUFootball gave Jesse Matthews a scholarship. Former walk-on has 3 rec for 111 yds and 2 TDs in 1st half of New Mexico Bowl. #Aztecs lead 20-3.
That quick-strike @SDSUFootball offense? Aztecs score in one play, a 74-yard TD pass from Ryan Agnew to Jesse Matthews for a 20-3 lead (2nd, 5:26). Drive took 13 seconds. Longest play of season for SDSU.
The points were easily a season-high, Byrd rushed for a season high and Agnew was as effective as we have seen him all year. Freshman TJ Sullivan also scored an impressive touchdown on his first career catch.
San Diego State will lose some key players to graduation, including Agnew, but a loaded defense and playmakers such as Matthews and Byrd could help the squad in 2020.
Central Michigan Unable to Solve SDSU Defense
We knew going in San Diego State had an elite defense, and this game proved it even more.
Central Michigan was able to sneak in a few big plays to keep things close, including 66-yard rushing touchdown by Kobe Lewis and a 61-yard reception by Kalil Pimpleton. However, these were few and far between.
Central Michigan has two plays totaling 127 yards against the @SDSUFootball defense. The Chippewas' other 41 plays in the game have also totaled 127 yards.
Dormady was held to 11-of-26 passing in what was arguably his worst game of the season, with only the Wisconsin loss coming close. Jonathan Ward had over 1,000 yards on the year but was held to 26 yards on 2.9 per carry Saturday.
With five total turnovers, it was a game to forget for this team.
Central Michigan should be happy to make it this far, but the offense will need to show more in big games if the program is going to take the next step.
